With the increased popularity of golf, the sport has become a social event for its participants. During the game, many golfers bring their own drinks with them. When many people are golfing together, each golfer must bring his own supply of beverages. Golfing is a sport that involves many people and frequent rest periods. The rest periods in golf, i.e. waiting between holes, can be for extended periods of time. During rest periods, each golfer typically refreshes his thirst with a bottle of soda, beer or water. Many drinks may be consumed by each golfer during these extended periods. If one golfer forgets to bring a beverage, he must share the same bottle with another golfer or buy a more expensive drink from the clubhouse. The golfers, however, may not be currently passing by the clubhouse or the clubhouse may be far away. A need exists for a golf bag that can dispense beverages for many golfers to avoid the need for many bottles or the sharing of one bottle.
Most golf bags are not designed or built to accommodate the storage of beverage bottles or cans. The organization and inconvenience of buying, carrying and retrieving many beverages can be cumbersome. During a golf game, a golfer would like a small drink at frequent intervals. A canned or bottled beverage contains a large quantity of fluid (8-12 ozs.) which either must be drunk all at one time or the remaining beverage must be saved. Saving a beverage is extremely cumbersome during a golf game because the fluid would spill out of the open container while driving in a golf cart or swinging a golf club. A need exists for a golf bag that can dispense specific quantities of beverages without the need for obtaining an individual beverage container.
Many golf course owners and players are concerned about beverage can liter on the golf courses. After finishing a drink from a beverage container, the beverage container is usually discarded and not reused. Discarding many beverage containers is environmentally wasteful and causes increased quantities of garbage. A need exists for a dispensing device that replenishes a quantity of beverage in a reusable cup without the need of a new container for each drink.
With the increasing size of golf courses and the growing number of people, who are not in top physical condition, playing the sport, motorized golf carts are commonly available. Because golf bags are typically carried in the rear of the golf cart, the concern about heavy golf bags is reduced. Consequently, larger golf bags can be constructed and more sophisticated devices can be included in the golf bags. A growing market demand exists for golf bags with more features.
For many years, golf bags and beverage containers have been available for purchase. Included within current patent literature are many devices which are directed to fluid dispensers and the basic concept of fluid dispensers in combination with a golf bag.
The Billet patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,143, issued in 1990, discloses a portable beverage dispenser carried on the back of a vendor. The dispenser includes an insulated beverage tank with a discharge conduit which allows fluid from the lower end of the tank to be forced into a discharge means. A pressurizing conduit enters from the top of the tank. A pump means forces a pressurized gas into the upper end of the tank. An optional cup dispenser may be attached to the sidewall of the tank. The tubing in this patent also is arranged so as to input and output from opposite ends of the tank.
The Traegde patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,144, issued in 1993, discloses a golf bag drink holder apparatus and method. The drink holder connects to a golf bag and holds a typical sports bottle. The sports bottle pivots about its connection point to keep the bottle in an upright position and avoid spillage. The system described by this patent is relevant in that it teaches a portable fluid receptacle with a dispensing means enclosed within a holder and incorporated onto a golf bag. The receptacle may be varying sizes or shapes.
The Edison, et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,833, issued in 1991, discloses a portable dispensing system that allows a bicyclist to drink fluids anytime he desires. A collapsible tank is contained in a backpack pouch with a conduit emanating from the backpack to the dispensing means. The dispensing means consists of a valve device that is held in the mouth of the user and releases water upon compression by the user's teeth. Additionally, the backpack includes a supply of oxygen with a conduit leading to the bicyclists nostrils.
The Talavera patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,618, issued in 1993, discloses a harness, for attachment to the body of a person, with article holding pockets. At least one bottle may be placed in the holding pockets. A conduit emanates from the water bottle allowing the user to drink from the bottle without using his hands. The system described by this patent is relevant in that it teaches a portable dispenser incorporated into a carrying case and a dispensing means. The holder may contain more than one bottle and varying size bottles.
The Patton patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,958, issued in 1992, discloses a bottle support assembly which is attached to the outside of a golf bag. A bottle, having a special grove, attaches to the support. The support consists of a retainer bracket, hanger strap and retaining belt.
The foregoing patents indicate that the prior art discloses some of the present dispenser's structures including a pump means, dispensing means and cold pouch. The present dispenser adapted onto a golf bag contains important improvements on the prior art to justify differentiation including removable containers, varying sized container lids adaptable to common beverage bottles, a two bottle option and a dispenser adapted onto a golf bag.